(Encyclopedia) Floyd, William, 1734–1821, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, b. Brookhaven, N.Y. His career in the Continental Congress (1774–77, 1778–83) was marked by conscientious…
(Encyclopedia) Ellis, William, 1794–1872, English missionary, pioneer of printing in the Pacific. Sent in 1816 to Polynesia as a nonconformist missionary, he set up at Tahiti the first printing press…
(Encyclopedia) Forsythe, WilliamForsythe, Williamfôrsīthˈ [key], 1949–, American dancer and choreographer, b. New York City. He trained with the Joffrey Ballet (1971–73), then joined the Stuttgart…
(Encyclopedia) Stoughton, WilliamStoughton, Williamstōˈtən [key], 1631–1701, American colonial statesman. He was probably born in England but studied at Harvard (grad. 1650) before attending New…
(Encyclopedia) Charles, William, 1776–1820, American cartoonist, etcher, and engraver, b. Edinburgh, Scotland. He probably came to the United States to avoid prosecution for his satirical drawings.…
(Encyclopedia) Higgins, William, b. 1762 or 1763, d. 1825, Irish chemist. After study at Oxford he became supervisor of the Royal Dublin Society's mineralogical collection and in 1800 the Society's…
(Encyclopedia) Gibson, William, 1948–, Canadian science fiction writer, b. Conway, S.C., moved to Canada in the 1960s. He first published short stories in sci-fi magazines; many are collected in…
(Encyclopedia) Roscoe, William, 1753–1831, English historian and author. He was called to the bar in 1774, and later, as a member of Parliament, fought against the slave trade (1806). The Life of…
(Encyclopedia) Boyce, William, c.1710–1779, English composer. After studying in London, he became a composer (1736) and later an organist (1758) of the Chapel Royal and Master of the King's Music in…
(Encyclopedia) Cockran, William BourkeCockran, William Bourkekŏkˈrən [key], 1854–1923, American political leader, b. Co. Sligo, Ireland. He emigrated to New York City at the age of 17 and in 1876 was…